The Kingdom Of Fire
by Creatix
Summary: A young Prince who desperately wants to be free of his duty, and a whole world out there ready to accept his request. Join Naruto, the Prince of the Country of Fire as he discovers just who he is, all the while meeting new friends along the way, and conquering the dangers of a land all but new to him. AU Fic. Pairing undecided.
1. Prologue to a Journey

**well, this a new idea. Tell me what you think.**

 **Story Start!**

The clanging of steel reverberated throughout the gardens of Konoha Castle. Two figures were in a small clearing surrounded by flowers and bushes. One was a man with brown hair tied in a knot behind his head. Accompanying it was a scar that ran across his nose. At the moment, he was wearing basic training gear, a small armored vest and a basic katana. Across from him was a boy, ten years of age and wearing the same gear, all except for the sword. Instead, he held a small Kodachi in his hands. His blue eyes shining with determination only seemed to compliment his blond hair.

The boy swung his blade towards the man, however it was blocked. The man countered, swinging his blade at the boy, who raised it to block. Steele met Steele, sparks flew, and the boy lost his grip on the handle of the blade. It flew from his hands and landed in the grass. The boy, still reeling from the blow, was easily knocked off his feet when the mans fist met his chest. He looked back up, only to find the tip of the sword pointing right between his eyes.

The man smiled at him. "It seems you lose again, Prince Naruto."

The boy smiled back. "Only because you caught me off guard, Iruka."

Iuka extended his hand, which Naruto took, and helped him up. "I thought you hated these lessons, Prince Naruto?"

Naruto huffed, crossing his arms. "I do. I just don't see the point."

Iruka put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Prince Naruto, I told you. If you wish to become king of Fire Country, you need to not only learn to rule, but to also fight. This is because in the event of a war, you will be expected to fight alongside your men."

"Yeah, well..." Naruto said. "We haven't had a war in generations. I don't think one will happen anytime soon."

Iruka sighed at this. "You will learn one day, Prince Naruto. Now come, I believe it's time for you to study."

Naruto groaned at this, but followed Iruka out the gardens and into the castle anyway. Iruka had been responsible for Naruto since he was five, teaching the boy in everything. He was like am uncle to him.

"Hey, Iruka?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, prince Naruto?" Iruka responded.

"When are you going to teach me to use chakra?" He asked, still following.

"Like I said, Prince Naruto." Iruka answered. "I will teach you when you reach fifteen."

"Oh come on!" Naruto groaned. "I want to be like on of our Ninjas! Breathing fire, cracking the earth, manipulating the wind! Don't you think that's awesome, Iruka!?"

However, Iruka didn't respond. Naruto looked to see him kneeling down. Confused, Naruto looked in the direction they were previously walking. Calmly walking their way, flanked by two armed guards, was his father.

King Takeda Shinichi, twenty second ruler of the Country of Fire, was an intimidating man. Standing tall in his regal robes, his silver hair reaching his neck and his red eyes accompanying his piercing glare.

Naruto quickly followed his teachers example and kneeled. When he got close, the king spoke. "Iruka, what progress have you made today with Naruto?"

"Sire!" Iruka spoke, his voice firm. "I had just finished his blade training, and we were about to go to the library."

"Hm." The king began walking again. "Make sure the boy learns everything you have to teach. I don't want a disgrace taking over when I die."

Iruka remained silent, but he spared a glance over to his prince. It wasn't obvious, but looking closely, one could tell that he was shaking, holding himself back from saying something.

Naruto's relationship with his father had always been a strained one. For as long as he could remember the king had shown no amount of warmth to his son, and the same act was taken upon by his mother, Queen Hikari Shinichi. Naruto would always strive to earn their approval, but no matter what he did, it would seem that he would never get the warmth he wanted from those who were to be his parents.

'The king could at least stand to be a bit kinder to his son.' Iruka thought, looking back to the king. 'Strange. Naruto looks nothing like him.' Iruka looked back to Naruto. 'His hair does not match the king or queen, and his eyes are blue instead of red.' Iruka narrowed his eyes, before standing back up and walking towards the library, Naruto following him. 'I shouldn't think about this. It's not my place anyway.'

Iruka and his student arrived at the royal library and began their study session for the day, the previous topic still lingering in his head.

It was two hours later that Iruka had finished teaching Naruto. The previous encounter with his father did not seem to have any lasting affects as the young prince was back to usual self.

Naruto stifled a yawn as they left the royal library. "Hey, Iruka?"

"Yes, Prince Naruto?" Iruka responded, turning to him.

"Do you think I can leave the castle today?" Narita asked. "I'm old enough to take care of myself."

"Prince Naruto, you know the rule." Iruka responded. "Royalty must not leave the castle. This rule is enforced by the King himself."

Naruto groaned.

"And besides." Iruka continued. "You have a responsibility to-"

Iruka turned to find that Naruto was no longer there, and that a window they had passed was now open. Running over to it, he looked to see Naruto running through the castle gardens to entrance.

"Why that little..." Iruka sighed, before he turned and continued walking. "Well, I should probably get the army captain to send someone to search for him. Better a soldier than his father."

It didn't take long for Naruto to sneak past the castle walls. There were barley any guards on the route he took, so he didn't need to fear. Just beyond the castle walls was what Narita wanted to see, the City of Konoha, capital of Fire Country. He could see people milling about, doing daily routines. He could see children around his age playing throughout the streets. Naruto smiled before running to the sight, not noticing the armored, blond man coming from the castle gates.

Naruto was in awe at the sights that greeted him at every turn. He had never been allowed outside the castle, mostly for his own safety. However, as he found during his wanderings, there seemed to be no danger. The people seemed to be nice to him, all he could see was smiles and happiness. How was this dangerous? He had even played a game with a few of the children, something called 'tag'. However, the rules escaped him. He couldn't fathom why the other children ran away as soon as they touched him. He simply shrugged and walked on.

Now Naruto was in a place filled with stalls of all kinds. Each one lined with things ranging from cloths to toys and even food. Speaking of food, Naruto was starting to get hungry. He gazed at a nearby apple stall with hungry eyes.

'The apples in the castle always tasted sweet.' Naruto thought, walking towards it. 'I wonder, how do the ones outside the castle taste?'

When Naruto was close enough, he reached and grabbed one of the apples, taking a bite out of it as he walked away. 'Hm... Not as sweet as I thought it would it be.'

"Hey, boy!" A voice shouted from behind Naruto. He felt a large hand grab s shoulder, and he was spun around to see a large bald man with an angry look on his voice. "How do you plan to pay for that?!"

"Pay?" Naruto asked, giving the man a confused look.

"Yes, Pay." The man said, glaring even harder. "You know, give me money for what you stole!?"

"Stole?" Naruto asked again, tilting his head to the side.

The man growled at Naruto, reaching into his cloths. "Then you'll have to pay with something else!"

But before anything could be done, a form hand was latched onto the mans shoulder. "Hold on a second." A young voice was heard. "I'll pay for the boy, so why don't you let him go?"

The man took his attention from Naruto, and Naruto took his attention from the man. The man grabbing the vendor was a tall, armored, blond haired man. His blue eyes were focused on the man, but Naruto could tell that he was stealing glances at him.

This man was Minato Namikaze,a famous captain in The County of Fires Ninja forces. He reached into a small pouch and pulled out a few coins. "For the apple." He said, putting the coins on the mans stall.

The man grunted before letting go of Naruto. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again!"

Minato nodded, before looking at the now released Naruto. 'So this is the Prince, huh?' Minato thought to himself. 'First time seeing him in person. Strange, he looks familiar.'

"Hey..." Naruto spoke, gaining Minato's attention. "Thanks for that. That man was angry for nothing!"

"It wasn't for nothing, Prince Naruto." Minato said. "You stole food, something you need money to pay for."

"...That's weird." Naruto said.

"Yes, I'm sure." Minato said, smiling a little. "Now come, we have to get back to the castle."

Naruto sighed. "Okay..." He said, before looking back at Minato. "Say, who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Minato." He answered. "A captain of the Ninja forces."

"N-Ninja forces?" Naruto asked, before grabbing Minato's hand. "D-Do you think you can teach me some stuff!? You know, like shooting fire!?"

Minato smiled nervously at this. "W-We'd have to ask your teacher, Prince Naruto. Now, lets go back to the castle. Your teacher is very worried."

Naruto smiled at his answer, before running back to the castle, Lessing Minato in the dust. 'That's the prince? I imagined him differently.'

Minato just shook his head and followed.

 **Story End!**

 **So, what do you think? Should I continue this?**

 **See Ya!**


	2. The Quest

**You can expect slows updates with my computer on the fritz.**

 **Q and A!**

 **Mr. Review: If you want to see it that way, I had Arslan Senki on my mind when I started writing this.**

 **Demon Bro the 14th : Fem. Gaara? Possibly. Although I am still up for suggestions to pairing.**

 **Story Start!**

In the castle of Konoha, the sound of Steele meeting Steele was heard coming from the gardens. The culprits were the same as always, Iruka and Naruto. Iruka was the same as always, the only one that had changed in any visible way was the young prince. It had been seven years since he escaped from the castle, his seventeenth birthday being just a few weeks ago. He was now taller, big enough to use a regular Katana just his like teacher. His hair reached his shoulders now, and it slightly framed his piercing blue eyes. Unlike the other training sessions he had in the past, he wore no armor, the same with his instructor. It was intended to make a trainee realize the risk involved in sword battle, as no armor meant little to no protection. Instead, he wore a white shirt along with brown pants and boots.

Naruto swung at Iruka, only for Iruka to parry and make Naruto's sword fly from his hand, landing a few feet away in the grass.

"Again?" Naruto groaned. "How do you always do that, Iruka?"

"Don't say it like that, Prince Naruto. You've been improving!" Iruka said. "And besides, I made you hold back, using no Jutsu. Minato must be teaching you very well!"

Two years ago, Naruto was allowed to start learning Jutsu. When he was given a choice of teachers, Naruto ignored them all and went straight to Minato. So far he had learned three Jutsus under Minato's tutelage. His first one that he learned was his most prominent, the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The other two others wind types that Minato had created himself, Wind Blades and Wind Shot. These Jutsus were powerful when used correctly, though Naruto had often shouted his desire to learn Minato's personal Jutsu, the Rasengan. Unknown to most, the two had bonded, Naruto seeing the man as a sort of second father.

"Yeah well... " Naruto said crossing his arms. "I still don't see how you can train me for so long, and yet I still can't beat you."

"Simple, Prince Naruto." Iruka said, walking past him towards an entrance into the castle. "The King wouldn't let me train you unless I was strong enough."

"Right, right." Naruto said, following him. "Let's just get the next session of training done before I begin to regret it."

The two walked in silence to the Royal Library.

 **Konoha Castle, Council Chambers**

King Takeda and another man were sitting across from each other at a table. A large map of Fire Country was on the table, labeling towns and points of interest. As of now, only the two were in the room.

"Are you sure about this?" King Takeda asked.

"Yes, Sire." A man replied. This was Ganta Inzuki, head advisor to the king. He wore a simple blue coat and brown pants. His brown hair and eyes pierced the room. "It has been long enough, and Prince Naruto is long past the age required."

"I still do not wish for this." The king scowled.

"Sire, you have done it, and so have all of your ancestors." Ganta answered. "If the people are to accept the young prince as a future king, the he must do it as well."

"The boy does not have it in him to kill a demon." The king said lowly. "What makes you think I will allow this?"

"Because it is tradition." Ganta said.

The king sighed and put his head in his hands. After a moment, a smile crept onto his face. "Alright then, for tradition." The king pointed to a place on the map. "Send him after the Kyuubi."

"Sire?" Ganta asked, surprised. "The Kyuubi? That demon is on the other side of the continent, hundreds of miles away in Whirlpool Country! He has to go through Sand and Grass Country just to reach it. Why not something closer?"

"I have made my decision, Advisor." The King growled. "Do you defy my decision?!"

"N-No my King!" Ganta stammered out. "I-I'll inform him immediately Sire." With those words, the advisor left.

The king hummed to himself as he looked back at the map.

 **The Prince's Quarters**

Naruto lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had finished his studies for the day, learning swordplay and academics from Iruka, and he had been improving his Ninjutsu with Minato.

His room was smaller than one expected it to be, and was on one of the higher floors of the castle. It consisted of the bed he was currently laying, large enough to fit two people, and next to that was a desk full of books he would have to study, and on that same desk was his training sword. Another corner of the room had a door that lead to small wardrobe, consisting of many outfits. However, he never really wore them all, usually just the same outfit. The room had one window, a window that offered him a view beyond the city and into the surrounding country.

Naruto got out of his bed and went to the window, looking out at the view it offered. He would often do this, even more so after he had his little escapade in the city all those years ago. He would gaze at the land around the city, feeling a sense of longing. He wanted to go further than the city, further than he could see from his room.

'This place is too small for me...' He thought, looking at the blue sky. 'I want that feeling again. The same feeling I had when I was in the city.'

Naruto was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. "Prince Naruto?" An old voice spoke from beyond the door.

Naruto went and opened the door, and saw a old man on the other side. Judging by his attire, he was one of the many castle servants. "The King requests your audience in the throne room."

Naruto nodded, stepping out of the door and closing it behind him. He followed the servant through the castle.

It didn't take long to get to their destination. Naruto entered the large door to the throne room, leaving the servant to his own devices. The throne room was large. A high ceiling complimented the tall walls. A long red carpet lead from the ornate doors to the large, granite throne. Said throne held his father, the King, who had a look of boredom on his face.

Naruto walked until he was a small distance from the King before kneeling down. "You called for me, Lord Father?"

The king eyed Naruto with an apathetic look. "I have, boy." He said. "It is time you proved your worth."

Naruto stayed silent, wary of what repercussions he could have from interrupting.

"And so..." The King continued. "I have decided along with my advisor that you, boy, are going to hunt the demon Kyuubi."

"T-The Kyuubi?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I did not say you could speak." The king said, glaring at him. "Leave to pack for a long journey. You are to leave by dawn tomorrow."

"Y-Yes, Father." Naruto responded, standing and bowing. After that, he left without another word.

He did not return to his room, instead he took his time walking out to the gardens. He had arrived just as the sun was setting, the red glow lighting up the flowers and bushes. He made his way to the clearing where he would practice with Iruka. He sat down in the clearing, looking up at the sky before burying his face into his hands.

"Sometimes I feel like he wants me dead." Naruto said. "It'd be nice to not be a prince for just a little while."

"And why do you say that?" Naruto heard a voice say, and he could hear someone sit down next to him. "You usually aren't like this."

Naruto looked up to see the face of Minato, looking at with concern. "Nothing really..." Naruto said, sighing. "Just my father wanting me to slay a demon on the other side of the world."

"...Care to explain a little bit, Kiddo?" Minato asked.

And so he did. Naruto told the man about the assignment the king had given him. Minato sighed after it was over. "The Kyuubi... That's something isn't it?"

"Yeah... It's so overwhelming." Naruto said, putting his had back into his hands.

"You know..." Minato said, putting his hands on the Young Princes shoulder. "I remember reading about that in school when I was younger. Your father, actually." This got Naruto to look back up at him. "Your father went and killed a demon, a succubus to be exact. However, while not as powerful as the Kyuubi, he still needed help. You get what I'm saying?"

"Not in the least." Naruto said, making Minato sigh.

"I mean you don't have to do it alone." Minato said. "If you want, you can take anyone of your choosing with you."

"Really?" Naruto asked, Minato nodding at the question. "Then can you come?"

"...I guess..." Minato said. "Don't know if I can though, I have a wife!"

"Oh come on!" Naruto said. "You're the strongest guy I know!"

"Well I don't know about that..." Minato said, scratching the back of his head. "But tell you what, I'll talk to my wife about it. If I can go, I'll meet you at the exit of the city, okay?"

"Naruto nodded, a smile on his face. Minato soon said his goodbyes to the young boy, returning to his home for the night.

Minato's home was a small one, a single floored house with three bedrooms. When he opened his door and stepped into the houses living room, he was greeted by his red haired wife Kushina, sitting down in a couch reading a book.

Minato sat down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "How was your day, Kushina?"

Kushina looked to her husband, placing her book down. "It was fine, dear. What about yours?"

"Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Minato said. "Involving Prince Naruto."

Kushina smiled. "The Prince?" Kushina asked, turning her attention to a door on the other side of the room. "Must be nice to be getting so close to one so young."

Minato frowned at this. Kushina had never gotten over the death of her first child, and to be honest, who would? It was only a few moments after he was born. Kushina had fallen asleep with the baby in her arms, and when she had woken she saw a man dressed all in black jumping out of the window with the baby in his arms. Minato had immediately began to search using any resources available.

But it was for naught, as a week later they had found the body of a baby bearing the very same ribbon around his arm that Kushina had given him. The funereal was a day later.

Minato sighed, pushing the memory to the back of his mind. "I can understand if you don't want me to go."

"No..." Kushina said, looking back at him. "I can see how much you like the Princes company, Minato. It'd be cruel of me to not let you go."

"Really?" Minato asked. "I was sure you were going to tell me not to leave."

"Minato, I would be throwing a fit if I didn't want you to go." She said. "Besides, I think it would be good for you to go."

"Well... alright." Minato said, quickly hugging her.

Kushina gave him a quick kiss. "Just make sure to say goodbye before you go." With that, she got up from the couch, pulling Minato with her. "But for now, how about I say goodbye right now?"

Minato was confused, before Kushina started leading him to their bedroom.

They spent the night in each others embrace.

 **Story End!**

 **As I said my computer is on the fritz. Updates will be slow.**

 **See Ya!**


End file.
